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What if DreamWorks Pictures/DreamWorks Animation was founded in 1934?/Rocky and Bullwinkle (franchise)
he Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends (shortly known as Rocky and Bullwinkle) is the blanket title for an American animated television series that originally aired from November 19, 1959, to June 27, 1964, on the ABC and NBC television networks, as well as a media franchise. The current blanket title was imposed for home video releases over 40 years after the series originally aired and was never used when the show was televised; television airings of the show were broadcast under the titles of Rocky and His Friends from 1959 to 1961, The Bullwinkle Show from 1961 to 1964, and The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show (or The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle or The Adventures of Bullwinkle and Rocky) in syndication.7 Produced by Jay Ward Productions, the series is structured as a variety show, with the main feature being the serialized adventures of the two title characters, the anthropomorphic flying squirrel Rocky and moose Bullwinkle. The main adversaries in most of their adventures are the two Russian-like spies Boris Badenov and Natasha Fatale, both working for thedictator Fearless Leader. Supporting segments include Dudley Do-Right of the Mounties (a parody of old-time melodrama),Peabody's Improbable History (a dog named Mr. Peabody and his boy Sherman traveling through time), and Fractured Fairy Tales (classic fairy tales retold in comic fashion), among others.8 Rocky and Bullwinkle is known for quality writing and wry humor. Mixing puns, cultural and topical satire, and self-referential humor, it appealed to adults as well as children.89 It was also one of the first cartoons whose animation was outsourced; storyboards were shipped to Gamma Productions, a Mexican studio also employed by Total Television. The art has a choppy, unpolished look and the animation is extremely limited even by television animation standards at the time, yet the series has long been held in high esteem by those who have seen it; some critics described the series as a well-written radio program with pictures.10 The show was shuffled around several times (airing in afternoon, prime time, and Saturday morning timeslots), but was influential to other animated series from The Simpsons to Rocko's Modern Life.11 Segments from the series were later recycled in the Hoppity Hooper show. There have been numerous feature film adaptations of the series' various segments, such as the 2000 film The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle, which blended live-action and computer animation;12 and the 1999 live-action film Dudley Do-Right.13 Both films received poor reviews and were financially unsuccessful. By contrast, an animated feature film adaptation of the "Peabody's Improbable History" segment, Mr. Peabody & Sherman, was released to positive reviews in 2014. A rebooted animated series also based on "Peabody's Improbable History", The Mr. Peabody & Sherman Show, debuted on Netflix in October 2015.1415 Another reboot animated series based on the main segment, The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle premiered on Amazon Videoon May 11, 2018. In 2013, Rocky and His Friends and The Bullwinkle Show were ranked the sixth Greatest TV Cartoon of All Time by TV Guide. Background The idea for the series came from Jay Ward and Alex Anderson, who previously collaborated on Crusader Rabbit, based upon the original property The Frostbite Falls Revue. This original show never got beyond the proposal stage. It featured a group of forest animals running a television station. The group included Rocket J. Squirrel (Rocky), Oski Bear, Canadian Moose (Bullwinkle), Sylvester Fox, Blackstone Crow, and Floral Fauna. The show in this form was created by Alex Anderson.17 Bullwinkle's name came from the name of a car dealership in Berkeley, California, called Bullwinkel Motors. Anderson changed the spelling of the last two letters of the name and gave it to his moose.18 Ward wanted to produce the show in Los Angeles; however, Anderson lived in the San Francisco Bay Area and did not want to relocate. As a result, Ward hired Bill Scott as head writer and co-producer at Jay Ward Productions, and he wrote the Rocky and Bullwinkle features. Ward was joined by writers Chris Hayward19 and Allan Burns; the latter eventually became head writer for MTM Enterprises. In a 1982 interview, Scott said, "I got a call from Jay asking if I'd be interested in writing another series, an adventure script with a moose and a squirrel. I said, 'Sure.' I didn't know if I could write an adventure with a moose and a squirrel, but I never turned down a job."20 Production Network television: 1959–1982 Syndicated package Characters Structure Supporting features Voices Reception and cultural impact Revival attempts CED Videodisc releases Home video releases Gray market releases Reboot On April 12, 2018, it was announced that a reboot of the series from DreamWorks Animation would premiere on Amazon Prime Video on May 11, 2018. The series is executive produced by Scott Fellows and Tiffany Ward (the daughter of Jay). The cast includes Tara Strong as Rocky, Brad Norman as Bullwinkle, Ben Diskin as Boris, Rachel Butera as Natasha, Piotr Michael as Fearless Leader, and Daran Norris as The Narrator.54 In other media Advertising Children's opera Comics Films * Boris and Natasha: The Movie (1992), is a live-action feature film starring the two spies. Neither Rocky nor Bullwinkle appears in this film; however the characters of Toots and Harve are identified as "Moose" and "Squirrel" at one point in the film. The film was originally intended for theatrical release, but was premiered on Showtime. * Dudley Do-Right (1999), a theatrical live-action film, starred Brendan Fraser, Sarah Jessica Parker and Alfred Molina. * The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle (2000) is a theatrical film starring Rocky and Bullwinkle. It was a mix of live-action with Rocky and Bullwinkle appearing as computer animated cartoon characters created by Industrial Light & Magic. June Foray returned to voice Rocky, while Bullwinkle was voiced by Keith Scott. Robert De Niro, Jason Alexander and Rene Russo played the live-action versions of Fearless Leader, Boris and Natasha, respectively. This film takes place 35 years after the show's cancellation. * Mr. Peabody & Sherman is a 2014 animated film based off the two characters of the same name from the original cartoon.66 * Rocky and Bullwinkle in: The Bride of the Moose is a short animated film produced by DreamWorks Animation, and directed by Gary Trousdale. It was originally planned to theatrically accompany the DreamWorks' feature film, Mr. Peabody & Sherman,67 but was instead released on the Blu-ray 3D release of the film.68 The short features June Foray as Rocky69 and Tom Kenny as Bullwinkle.70 Music recordings Toys Video games See also Category:What If? Category:DreamWorks Animation